Screenwriter
Angus MacLachlan (Junebug, Stone) tried his hand at directing his own material
with Goodbye to All That, a dramedy
about divorce and middle-aged casual dating, with a script that is ironically
the weakest element of the film. There are episodic moments of humor and some
great performances, but the narrative meanders without direction until reaching
a lackluster resolution. The conflict is never fully developed, in favor of
scattered moments of random humor instead, so that very little seems to be at
stake in the relationships of the few characters that actually matter.
At the center of
the film is Paul Schneider likeably playing the aloof and clumsy family man
Otto Wall, who is suddenly ambushed by his wife with a request for separation
and divorce. This comes as a surprise to Otto, who figured the lack of fighting
was a sign that everything was fine, while his wife (Melanie Lynskey) sees it
as a lack of passion. This is a defining character trait of Otto, whose soft-spoken
passive nature carries into his attempts to re-enter the dating world. After
using Facebook to discover that his wife had been cheating on him behind his
back, Otto finds that the social media site is also a good way to reconnect
with old flames. For some reason, they all seem primed and ready for casual sex
relationships with Otto, in a comical middle-aged male fantasy.
Not only do all
of these gorgeous women seem to desire the sex more than Otto does, but none
ask for any type of commitment from him. Many have recently been divorced
themselves or simply want sex without any strings, though each of their
peculiarities and sexual quirks serve as vignette humor throughout the film. We
don’t see what it is that Otto does to deserve this attention other than
becoming single, as even a young nymph from church inexplicably pursues our
protagonist through online messages. As amusing as each performance from these
gorgeous actresses (Heather Graham, Anna Camp, Ashley Hinshaw) may be, they
serve little to no purpose in moving the narrative along. Even Otto’s
interactions with his soon-to-be ex-wife are limited, leaving only his
relationship with his daughter (Audrey P. Scott) as the core of the film.
The film almost
slips into typical romantic comedy territory when Otto manages to reconnect
with a former childhood summer camp fling while attending a reunion for it. Even
though I appreciate the direction they were heading with this particular
infatuation, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a reunion for a summer camp. Rarely
do I say this, but Goodbye to all That
didn’t have a long enough running time. It isn’t even that I necessarily wanted
more of the narrative, but there were so many characters and odd connecting
parts that 86-minutes provides a scattered story which feels rushed and
incomplete. The only plus side to the short length was it meant I was sooner
able to say “goodbye to all…” No, I’m sorry. I won’t do it.
The DVD extras
include only the trailer.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of Filmmaking:
6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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